Building it!

[kvom]

Got the building permits on Wednesday, and today a crew started clearing the site and digging the foundation. Garage/shop slab will be 26x36'. With allowance for walls there will be ~25x35' of useable space below, and an in-law suite (bedroom w/ bath) above. Construction should last about 10 weeks, after which I can start shopping for a lathe and mill.

Of course, as I will be doing quite a bit of the inside finishing (flooring, paint, etc.), that will take up a bit of time that might otherwise be spent more enjoyably.

 

[Bogstandard]

Kvom,

Been there and still at it.

A few things that should be considered, put more wall sockets in than you ever think you will need. Rest assured even that will be too few.
Get as much lighting in there as you can. If you have to put artificial lighting in, use fluorescent with daylight tubes. They are more easy on the eyes and cast less shadows than tungsten.
Because there is a bathroom above, try to get running water and drainage in there. I wish I had done that when I built mine.

Lastly, try to plan out as much as you can. There is nothing worse than having to clean swarf off your bench before you can do clean work, because either the mill or bench were placed in the wrong position.

Best of luck on your new venture.

John

 

[kvom]

Bogs,

Good advise there. I will have 6 fixtures of 4-tube flourescent daylight bulbs in the ceiling, 2 over each bay one 2 over the back where any machinery will likely go. The ceiling height will be 13' to accomodate a 2-post automotive lift.

I will have a sink in the garage itself, but since I cannot put a drain in the floor the plumbing must connect that in the house. Until I get a plumber to look at it it's unclear if I can drain the lower sink directly. However it's possible to find sinks with a tank underneath and a pump that would allow connection to the upper bathroom's drainage.

I will have 200 amp service. So far I have identified separarate 230V connections for the lift, the air compressor, the water heater, and one on each wall for welder, plasma, etc. Given that most "old iron" runs 3ph, I plan to add a dedicated connection for a future RPC.

My thought is to put 110 outlets every 6' or so along two walls at 48" height. I will be doing the wiring, and friend who is an electrician will supervise. Since the studs are 16" apart, I can space outlets pretty liberally. The third wall, where the lift will be, will have a couple of outlets, but since I can't put a workbench on that side few are needed.

 

[CrewCab]

Sounds like a very nice size for a shop kvom mind you if your sharing it with a 2 post lift your obviously doing more in than just metalwork. I'm still renovating my little 10' x 12' shop, when I'm finished there will be about 16 x double sockets and around 6 dedicated fused spurs, at the price of sockets it's not worth going short.

One good piece of advice I received was about ventilation, though I haven't got any yet, apart from the door ......... it will be getting a new (small) but openable window and an extract fan. Fortunately the downstairs loo is right outside the entrance door so I don't have far to go. If you have a problem with drainage do consider a pump, the modern ones are pretty good and will cope with WC's as well as showers and basin's etc; over the last few years we've fitted quite a few and they have all performed fine.

Enjoy yourself and most of all ............. have fun ;D

CC

 

[kvom]

I have been doing offroading/rock crawling for the past 4 years. We do all of our own repairs and modifications, and having a lift is a definite advantage. No more lying on a cold concrete slab with dirt falling on my face!

I got interested in the machining aspect when an offroader friend bought a Bridgeprt and started fabricating some of his own parts. He just acquired a lathe as well.

I will be doing the same, hopefully. In the meantime I think the model engine building will be both fascinating and a good way to learn to use the machinery properly. The automotive machining will be big stuff like threading or boring tubes.

 

[CrewCab]

I also take part in offroading, but over here in the UK it's more "Mud Plugging", but we enjoy it, unfortunately all my garage space is taken up with other things, such as woodworking equipment : ............. so In my case (and my son's) repairs are still carried out "lying on a cold concrete slab" we try and do maintenance in the summer .......... try ...... unfortunately our Land Rovers can't distinguish between seasons so tend to need attention all year round :wall: ......... I do envy your indoor facilities ............. all the best.

Dave

 

[Bernd]

kvom,

You might want to consider radiant floor heating. Nice to have if your in the colder climates. ;D

Bernd

 

[kvom]

Actually will have radiant ;D

Had the equipment for it delivered today.

 

[kvom]

The framers are working on the second floor rafters as I type, after 3 days of inactivity due to rain. I believe the exterior doors and windows will be installed next week and the roof sheathed with plywood.

On another note, as of today I'm the owner of a Bridgeport mill and a Monarch lathe. These were relics of shop that was sold to another machine shop that wanted only cnc gear, so that the owners were left with the manual gear. There was also a ID/OD tool grinder that I had to pass on, and a hefty Johnson horizontal bandsaw that will need some rehab that they threw in for free. They are keeping the machines stored for me until the shop is ready to receive them, but I did bring home about 6 boxes of tooling that came with the machines. I need to take inventory, but I know that the haul includes:

For the mill:

r8 collets
rotary table
vise
tilt table
clamping set
2 sets of drill bits, one HSS and the other cobalt, missing a few sizes

For the lathe:

6-jaw chuck
4-jaw chuck
Jacobs flex collet chuck with a set of collets
a big set of chuckable reamers
2 or three tailstock chucks
couple of live centers
boring head
AXA clone toolpost and 4-5 holders

Mill is a 60s era 9x42. Table has a few nicks, but is otherwise clean. Good things are a hydraulic drawbar and 2-axis Newall DRO. Bad things are a leaking lube tube to the table and a burned out x-axis drive motor.

Lathe is a 1942 10EE, 12x20. Apparently refurbed within the past two years. 230v 3PH. Only apparent negatives are some surface rust on the cross slide and compound and on the chucks, plus one of the belts obviously needs to be replaced. Aside from all the tooling it has a Newall 2-axis DRO.

I will try to get some pics up later this weekend.

 

[ed miles]

kvom, if you are installing all new lighting, ask your supplier about the new T8 fixtures. This unit has an electrontic ballast, no flicker and uses 40% less power. I have them installed in the computer room at the house and currently retro fitting a couple of fixtuers each weekend at the shop. Try to find a dealer that has a demo unit so you can see the difference. There are also optional tube types.

Ed

 

[ksouers]

Kirk,
Sounds like you did well. Wow, Bridgeport and Monarch EE for first machines! Holy Cow!

Can't wait to see the pictures.
I've never used a Monarch, but I really like the looks of the EE. And of course they have an excellent reputation.

 

[Bogstandard]

Nice one K,

You are starting out with well proven and excellent equipment. Now will be the time to start to use it correctly.

Big powerful machines, so take it easy for a while until you get used to them.

John

 

[kvom]

Here is a pic of the lathe as it was with the panels removed for inspection.

It appears that we will be able to park inside the new garage floor in a couple more weeks, so I will be able to get the machines into the current garage, hook them up to a phase converter, and do whatever refurbing they need. OTOH I will be doing a fair amount of finishing work in the new space (wiring, insulation, upstairs flooring and baseboards, bathroom/kitchen installation), so I don't know how soon I will be operational. I want to put some sort of epoxy coating on the new garage floor before I fully install the machinery. Given that the drawbar on the mill needs air to operate, I will be running an additional line from the compressor to the wall where the mill will end up.

I have been taking classes at the local votech school for the past two months using a Chevalier BP clone and a Harrison M350 lathe (bigger than the Monarch), so I do have a bit of experience with this scale machine. I'll continue with the classes at least through the Fall quarter. Not only do I get a lot of hands-on experience that way, but avoid a lot of the mistakes I read about from people who are learning from "hard knocks". It's nice to be able to ask the instructor how to do something the best way. I also get a good idea of what things I'll need to buy.

I unpacked the boxes from the truck last night. Found a few nice large end mills, a brand new pair of 123 blocks still wrapped in wax paper, an edge finder, and even an unused "kool mist" attachment still in the box. There are also a couple of R8 tool holders. The chuck wrench for the 6-jaw is too large for the 4-jaw, so I will likely try to make one in shop class. There are also 4 steel "pucks" for leveling the mill.

Here is the current state of the build:

As for lighting, I will be installing this type of light in the garage level:

http://www.fullspectrumsolutions.com/commercial_lighting_fixtures_35_ctg.htm

 

[robert1352]

Wow!! I'm geting excited for you!! I wish I could have a shop like that.

 

[Mcgyver]

your first lathe is a monarch? hehe. go big or or go home, good for you - raises the bar big time on our expectations though ;D

 

[te_gui]

A Monarch 10EE is still kinda the gold standard in tool room lathes, I have ran a couple and helped a friend refurbish his. The variable speed comes from an DC motor generator setup. We used a variable frequency drive to convert to 3 phase, I can get specifics if you are interested.

 

[kvom]

I will be using the mill and lathe to fabricate parts for my Jeep, as well as for the model engine stuff. A mini-lathe wouldn't work too well. I also have a preference for older quality USA-built tools vs. new Chinese gear. Using a DRO on the lathe will be a new experience, as the Harrison I've been using doesn't have one.

The Monarch system has a 6.5HP AC 3PH motor driving a DC generator powering a 3HP DC motor, which in turn drives the spindle and feeds. Since a VFD normally needs to be 1.5 times the HP of the driven AC motor, I'd need a 10HP VFD. I think I may be better off running a 6-7HP RPC instead. That would also allow running any other 3PH machinery I might happen to get.

I will be attaching a 2HP VFD to the mill, as the mill doesn't have the multi-speed head. The VFD will allow me to set the motor speed without changing belts.

The mill has a caliper-type digital DRO for the spindle. In my school projects we have been using the knee to control depth of cut, so I am used to this method. It will be interesting to see how using the spindle for this will compare (certainly will take less energy).

 

[Bogstandard]

Kvom,

The mill has a caliper-type digital DRO for the spindle. In my school projects we have been using the knee to control depth of cut, so I am used to this method. It will be interesting to see how using the spindle for this will compare (certainly will take less energy).

The reason for using the knee is for rigidity of the workpiece to cutter. The further out you have the quill, the less rigid it will be.

I am having to get used to using the knee again, rather than the quill, which really is designed for drilling and boring, not for putting cuts on with.

John

 

[kvom]

Today is the 2 month point since I got the building permits. Where I am now:

1) Roof is completed, along with the house at the same time.

2) Almost all of the wiring is done. My electrician friend is going to finish the panel this weekend. I still need to run two 12ga wires for the AC units, and am delaying until I know exactly where they will be located on the outside. I also need to run one more low-voltage wire for one of the door openers. I bought one piece 5' too short to run inside the framing. Should be able to call for inspection next week.

3) Plumbing is done and has passed inspection. Of course there are no fixtures as yet. I got the backerboard laid in the upstairs bathroom preparatory to laying tile.

4) Siding is 80% complete. The workers ran out of material last Friday, and it didn't get delivered until yesterday. Then the workers failed to show up today as their truck had broken down. Thery should be able to finish up tomorrow.

5) I ordered the AC units today, along with the requisite lineset piping. Once that gets laid in the walls I can get the framing inspection. There are also a few finishing items the framing crew needs to complete before I can call for inspection.

Still to do:

I'm going to wait for the inspections to be completed before I run coax cable for television and air hose in the walls. One air run will be to a hose reel mounted high on one wall. The other will be on the wall where the machinery will live. I need air to operate the drawbar on the mill.

The lower part of the front wall will be brick to match the house. They had to cut off a fair amount of brick to join the garage to the house, but there is insufficient old brick to cover the necessary area. So I'm going to bite the bullet and just get all new bncks (needs about 1000 bricks for 138 square feet. Still need a quote from a bricklayer).

After all rough inspections are passed the insulation guy will be followed by the drywall guy. Then the garage doors can be put in place. Then there are many DIY items: plumb in the bathroom, the downstairs sink, install the garage door openers and the AC units, mount all of the lights, connect the door opener controls, run caulk bead all along the sill boards on both levels. etc. etc. etc.

The long lead item may be routing power to the panel. I need to replace the current 200a meter base with a 400a model, which may take 4 weeks to arrive (it was ordered yesterday). Then I need to coordinate among my electrician, the power company, and the county inspector to do the switchover. They cut the power from the street early in the morning, and hopefully by evening everything is OK and the power can be cut back on.

If I can all that done and have the certificate of occupancy by November 1 I'll be happy (and lucky).

 

[MadKad]

:big: wow this isnt a shop its going to be a small factory :bow:

wish I had the space for something like this